Evans Distribution Systems was privileged to have helped two great charitable organizations in Michigan this year – Gleaners Community Food Bank and Child and Family Services of Michigan Inc.’s Operation Good Cheer.
Gleaners Community Food Bank
Evans has recently concluded its second annual holiday food drive to benefit Gleaners Community Food Bank. Gleaners’ mission is “to provide households with access to sufficient, nutritious food, and related sources. [They] accomplish this through collaboration, efficient operations, education, and innovative solutions to achieve a hunger-free community in southeast Michigan.” The holiday is a critical time for the organization to collect donations from multiple sources including local food drives.
For most of us, the holidays are an enjoyable time spent with our closest friends and family. But for many, it’s a reminder of an ongoing struggle to provide food for loved ones. Evans wants to make the holiday season worry-free for these families. Holding a food drive is the least we could do to help our neighbors in need. It is also the perfect opportunity for all employees to get involved.
To encourage participation, Evans created a friendly competition between departments to see who can gather the most donations. This year, Evans collected at total 953 items for Gleaners. That is over 200 more than last year! And, if you were wondering, our Accounting department collected the most items and remain the reigning champs for the second year in a row!
Operation Good Cheer
On Saturday, December 7, Evans participated in Operation Good Cheer, which is a volunteer Christmas gift-giving program sponsored by Child and Family Services of Michigan, Inc. For Operation Good Cheer, Christmas gifts from a child’s “Wish List” are purchased and wrapped by donors. These gifts are then picked up, loaded, and transported by volunteer trucking companies and their drivers to a centrally located airport. At each airport, agency volunteers gather the gifts and fly them to the youth in foster care throughout Michigan.
Evans had the opportunity to be one of these “volunteer trucking companies.” We volunteered our services to deliver a truckload of gifts to several of the orphanages throughout Detroit, Mich. “We’re grateful that we have the equipment and capacity to deliver joy to children who need it most,” says Tony Trocki, Vice President of Transportation.
Steve Dossin, a driver for Evans, arrived at Oakland County International Airport to find “presents piled 10 feet high” in the hangar at Pentastar Aviation. Dossin and his Operation-Good-Cheer supporters transported the joy of Christmas to over 7,000 foster children this year.
We are very grateful that we had the opportunity to help Gleaners and Child and Family Services of Michigan, Inc. this holiday season. We look forward to supporting them again during the 2020 holiday season and are excited to help more of our neighbors in need throughout the upcoming year.
Happy Holidays from your friends at Evans Distribution Systems!